Australian Equine Rugging Practices and Relevant Aspects of Thermoregulation

Abstract

The practice of horse rugging has important implications for horse welfare and performance, but in Australia, rugging practices have not been properly documented. The objectives of this thesis were to:

1. Review equine thermoregulation and rugging in horses

2. Report current Australian horse rugging and management practices. Evaluate if current horse owner knowledge aligns with available literature. Determine any possible factors influencing current horse rugging practices.

3. Suggest future research directions related to horse rugging to provide accessible information for horse owners.

The two underlying hypotheses were:

1. Horse rugging would be commonplace in Australia and influenced by owner and horse related factors and climate.

2. The attitudes and practices of Australian horse owners would align with the limited current research.

In chapter 3, an online survey reviewed the management of 2659 Australian horses over 12 months. Of the reported horses a total of 84.8% were rugged, although most owners (69.5%) indicated that they were unsure whether horses needed to be rugged at all. Rugging was felt by 59.8% of owners to be a requirement for horses in competition. Riding and competition were significantly associated with the use of rugs. Nearly all respondents (89.0%) felt that “over-rugging” was a concern. However, 4.8% of owners would use up to 4 rugs at any one time on their horse and 21.4% of horses were still rugged in temperatures above 20°C in Australia. Many Australian horse owners (42.8%) also believe that horses feel cold if they are not rugged. Australian climate, owner opinions, equestrian discipline and whether a horse is used for riding influence Australian horse rugging practices.

The first hypothesis of the thesis was confirmed. Horse rugging is very common across Australia. However not all horse rugging practices were consistent with what would be likely recommended based on the limited available scientific literature.